Visiting Vitor Silva and His Lusitanos
by Leslie Woods, The Horse’s Maine, March, 1999

Driving north from southern New Hampshire, I took a wrong turn and headed through Deerfield. Unexpectedly, I found the right place - Vitor Silva's Sons of the Wind Farm, where the Portuguese dressage rider has started a Lusitano breeding and rider training facility. While his paddocks and box stalls are well organized but typical, his indoor arena, with excellent viewing windows, shows the focus of his classical dressage operation. Placed in the middle are two white pillars topped with gold. I had last seen such pillars at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.

After frequent scouting trips, Vitor imports horses from both Portugal and Brazil for sale throughout the country, as well as for building his own breeding operation. Like many Iberian breeders, most of his male horses are stallions. Vitor opened each sliding door to discuss a stallion and we entered the stall where the horse would stand quietly to be patted or would cuddle his head against my jacket. Although caution was taken to keep stallions and mares separated when moving horses around the stable, the stallions were otherwise as kind and well behaved as any geldings.

Vitor rode three stallions while I visited. First was Golega an imported stallion who has only been at the farm for two months. Vitor said he was chosen for his excellent temperament because he would be used for teaching.

The Latin method of riding horses is remarkably distinct from the Germanic. Typically at a dressage facility, horses would be warmed up at walk, trot and/or canter in long and low or some approximation of it. In the Latin method, as Vitor rode, the horse, wearing a double bridle, walks through various lateral movements then progresses to passage and piaffe. Out of the piaffe, the horse does extensions. Vitor rode across the diagonal in canter with a flying change at the mid point of the white pillars. Half pass in trot or canter also changed direction between the pillars. Golega floated in perfect classical posture across the arena to pause in piaffe.

Vitor turned to me, "Have you ever ridden piaffe?" Frozen at the side of the arena in my jeans and parka, I warmed immediately and stepped forward. "No, I haven't."

Vitor led Golega to the mounting block and after I settled into the comfortable saddle that Vitor designed and had made for himself in Brazil, Vitor walked Golega to the long side of the arena. Golega piaffed. I began to relax to his step, trying to adopt the position I had seen in photographs. Then Golega settled back down on his hocks and lifted in front. At first I didn't know what was happening. Then Vitor said, "This is levade."

Golega leaped back to all four legs and we passaged down the long side to pause again. Piaffe, levade, walk or passage to the next spot and on around the arena. A gift from horse and trainer to a rider.

While European students learn on well trained horses, it is difficult in the US to have lessons on knowledgeable horses. I thought of my ride as a great gift and was reminded of Michael Poulin's MDS Symposium last fall, where one after another of the children in the audience rode the powerful Toscanini in piaffe. Michael said that this is what a classically trained horse should do. He should respond because his training is correct. Golega is correct and able to train his riders.

Next Vitor rode Trovador, beginning similarly in walk and lateral movements but with more canter work and frequent flying changes. He then had the horse perform the Spanish Walk with his legs lifted up and out from his chest The Walk is showy and dramatic. Vitor said that Portuguese Lusitano stallions are improving some of the Spanish Andalusians, giving them more strength and power.

Last Vitor rode the young stallion who had boarded at Puckerbrush, now four years old. Neguinho was presented in a double bridle, but Vitor rode with a completely loose curb rein. Vitor rode the young horse with more trot and canter work. He showed that even a youngster can perform lateral work such as half pass and can do flying changes, but the rider allows the horse more room for mistakes, for less dramatic leg crossing, for more space for the change. It was easy to see from the first finished horse to the youngster how Vitor was a trainer whose philosophy is to ask but then allow the horse to perform. For all three horses, Vitor said, "It is position. When you are in the right position, the horse can do whatever you want because you are not in his way."

At Equine Affaire, Vitor demonstrated Portuguese traditional costume and saddle. He rode a 7-year old stallion against his mechanical-wheeled bull driven by a person. Portuguese bullfighting is fought from horseback and the bull lives to exit the ring. Picadors in Spain wrap their horses in padding, stick pins into the bull's wither and exit. Portuguese bullfighters ride well trained, unpadded horses whose survival depends on their agility and power as they wheel and spin, leap and dash around the bull, barely eluding his horns. Because of their agility and bravery, as well as a temperament accepting control, the Lusitano has developed into a truly versatile horse. Over centuries of careful breeding, it is perfectly adaptable to sports besides classical dressage, such as reining,jumping, eventing, driving and pleasure riding. The showy horses, typically gray but also in buckskin and sometimes chestnut, have flowing manes and tails, powerful quarters, natural self carriage and great freedom through the shoulders. Luckily, we can see them at Vitor Silva's farm in Deerfield, New Hampshire.